Singer-songwriter Caroline Reese and her band, the Drifting Fifth, are set to release Tenderfoot on January 6. The project is Reese’s third full-length album, but marks her first recorded collaboration with the Drifting Fifth. Tenderfoot offers an appealing blend of country, folk, and indie-rock sounds, but Reese’s storytelling takes center stage. “Screen Doors” is a prime example – a melancholy, bittersweet, I’m-moving-on story of leaving home and being better for it. Accompanied by sparse drums and bass, and even featuring the faint sounds of washing dishes, the production on “Screen Doors” is simple and leaves the focus on the lyrics. Reese states that this was her original intention for the track: “To me, ‘Screen Doors’ is one of the most country songs on the album. But it doesn’t have big country instrumentation – I really wanted to keep it sparse and focused on the idea of leaving a home you’ve made.”
Key Lyrics: “I know what the door can do on my way out / I know this ain’t my house anymore / He’s crying on the porch, but you say the dog is yours / I keep making a life out of slammed screen doors.”
Reese is a native of Reading, Pennsylvania, but wrote her first album (Indian River) while living in Montana in 2010. Her time there has served as an influence on her current music, infusing it with true country and Americana themes. She and the Drifting Fifth have opened for the likes of Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile, and will be touring this spring. Listen to “Screen Doors” below, and hear the album’s lead single “Snake Eyes” here.